In its early years, skateboarding meant riding a 2" x 4" x 30" board with wheels salvaged from a discarded roller-skate attached to each end. Modern day skateboards are wider, stronger and come in many colorful designs, shapes and sizes. The popularity of the skateboard is reflected in specialty shops and magazines, videos, and national competitive events requiring highly trained and skilled operators.
The maneuvers performed by the individual operators often require changes in direction or speed. These alterations occur principally by the operator placing the foot used to propel the vehicle on the rear portion of the board causing it to pivot downward thereby frictionally engaging the traveled road surface causing a change in speed or direction. Such an event can be enhanced by special effects created by an attached pyrotechnic device ignited by frictional encounter with the road surface.